National "what" day?

It seems there is a national day for everything, the day to say I love you, the day to love your mother or your father, your secretary, your dog, even a day to be thankful. Do you find yourself needing reminders like this? A national day set aside to perform normal human emotions?

"Out of the hearts abundance the mouth speaks"

In a world that is so busy that we even forget to stop and smell the roses, we can forget about those important things. Thankfulness heals and calms the human heart and brings deep joy, inner joy that plays into every single we say and do. Slowing down and relaxing and taking time with friends and family gets our mind out of the I'm too busy" mentality and helps us to regain our happiness.

"National Drink Wine Day" 

A few days ago it was "National Drink Wine Day." That day did not remind me to perform a natural human emotion, but it did remind me about the perks of sharing wine with a good friend or family member. It made me remember the warm comfortable relaxed feeling you can have with the great glass of wine and a conversation that provides a mental break from today's daily grind. That connection that I've experienced with those closest to me usually occur as I palm a goblet of an oaky bold red wine. It was said that "Wine makes the heart of mortal men rejoice". I do agree with that. So I'll have to admit that I and willing to embrace this national day of remembrance, a day for my heart and soul and for joy and thankfulness and friends and family and that wonderful liquid gold that I love so much.

And so it became their water

Hard cider, some say it's a fad, a girly drink, while some say "it's too sweet for me", others say it's like wine while others compare it to beer. Just what is this fermented beverage and where did it start?

For a detailed answer visit: http://www.northeastcidertrail.com/hardciderhistory/

We however will sum it up for you....

Hard Cider is made from apples. Many varieties of apples are blended together and pressed into fresh apple cider. The fresh pressed cider is then fermented using the natural wild yeast from the apples or a cultivated yeast is added to begin fermentation, much the same as how wine is made. Over the next few weeks the sweet apple cider will begin to lose it sweetness because the yeast will eat up all the natural sugars resulting in a dryer fermented beverage that is surprisingly not very reminiscent of apples. They range from about 6.5% ABV up to 8.5 %ABV.

But where did it come from? Early in US history the first settlers had experienced the devastating effects of drinking unclean water. So after settling in America, they started fermenting fresh apple cider into hard apple cider as a daily beverage and so it became their water for both young and old alike. For centuries it was the drink of choice and old recipes were brought from their homeland in Europe.

During the time of the prohibition In the U.S., countless cider apple trees orchards were cut down and burned, making the common hard apple cider a rarity in many parts of the United States. 

 ...THERE HAS BEEN A REVIVAL …

In recent years with the return of curated goods and handcrafted items as well as craft beverages, hard cider has seen a revival. 

A young hard cider from Rowan Asher Winery & Hard Cidery  

For many who have tried commercial hard apple cider, you could agree that it resembles sweet bubbly apple juice because of the punch of flavorings, juice and sugary sweetness that has been added after fermentation. That's how commercialism has catered to the super sweet tooth of the US consumer.

But if this was your only introduction to Hard Ciders, then you have been mislead. Allow me, a Hard Cideress, to properly introduce you to the amazing world of handcrafted hard ciders! Because handcrafted "homemade" hard ciders are quite different....

It has a wonderfully old-fashioned appeal and as a craft it just feels wholesome. You can taste the fermentation and alcohol in real hard cider and it is amazing! 

There are a vast array of the ciders being made in the states today, from sour or spiced ciders to fruity, while others have been introduced to hops or aged whiskey bourbon barrels, like our "Oaky O'Shea". The amount of carbonation varies as well as levels of dryness from dry, off dry, semi dry, semi sweet and sweet. Different types of yeasts are used from white wine yeast to ale yeast and champagne yeast and these all affect the final product and taste preferred. It can be purchased in cans, bottles and some cider tasting bars like the one at www.rowanasherwinery.com have a growler program, where you can return the growler for a discounted refill of ciders on tap.

All of these variations allow for endless creativity as well as bountiful flavors in this newly "tapped" Market. So why not look online and find your local Hard Cidery and sample a few sips of Americas oldest beverage. 

You can find cideries on the newly formed North East Cider Trail that is working to unite Virginia to Maine. Check out www.NorthEastCiderTrail.com

The "Roseto Effect"

Living forever, everyone wants to, but no one has. But what if you could live about 8 to 10 years longer than the average American? What if it was in your blood, what if it was part of your family's history? Well for some it is...

Just recently the oldest living Roseto native, Carmen Ruggiero passed away, just a month shy of 104 years of age. We had a chance to meet him at the "Centi Anni" or 100 yr celebration of Roseto's history and he was a charming man with a great knack for humor.

There is a tiny hill town in Pennsylvania called Roseto. It was established in 1912 by a small Italian community that moved to America from Roseto Valfatore, Italy and it is part of our family's rich heritage. It's a town where everyone's related, you're always meeting another new cousin, and everyone knows everyone. 

What was amazing about this town and these people was their incredible history of longevity. They had low heart disease rates and cancer, especially among the men. Because of this they were outliving the average American in upwards of 8 to 10 years. So a 10 year study was done to figure out why. It was called the "ROSETO EFFECT".

Our heritage is in our wine.  

Everything they ate and drank was tracked daily, and the final result was that it wasn't their gardening and homemade foods that helped them to live longer.

Everyone in town made wine, and wine is good for you right? Well, it wasn't the wine either. The answer is quite beautiful, it was the tight-knit community, that sense of well-being and love that everyone felt, that made them live longer, happier and healthier lives. You see, everyone took care of their own and their neighbor. Even the town bum who was lovingly called "mangiare e bere" or "eat and drink", I was told that he never slept on the street and never missed a meal. I wish times were still like that.

So that is why we decided to honor our family as well as the community of Roseto, Pennsylvania for their remarkable history because they knew how to live right. That is why we called our Italian red wine the "Roseto Effect".

Members of the study: my great-grandfather Domenico Finelli (bottom left) and my great great grandfather Pasqualli Finelli (center with white beard) 

We honor their tradition of winemaking by blending Sangiovese, Chianti, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to make a beautiful Italian Red Wine just like our forefathers did, perfect for pasta Sundays.

Perhaps having a glass or more a day may make the "Roseto Effect" rub off on us too. We may never know if it will work...

...pass me the wine please... 

*to read more about the Roseto Effect, visit our "Wines" page and select "Roseto Effect"

Seed to Sip

Driving home tonight from a workshop on fermentation and chemistry in making hard apple cider, I found the demographics of the classroom to be quite interesting. Being in the wine industry for some time, there is a certain stereotype among my fellow wine makers and enthusiasts, however the demographics of today's workshop was quite different from that. I found myself feeling quite honored to be around these men and farmers that I respect so much for their years of valuable experience working the land, having sleepless nights during the snowy season hoping their crops would survive and how poetically they spoke of the beautiful infrastructure of their orchards.

Can't you just taste them, the fresh produce of summer? 

Having only green eyes and not green thumbs, we source our fresh pressed apple cider from a local farmer in our community and I am quite emamored by these strong knowledgeable men. I'm sure we all respect farmers for what they produce for us on a daily basis, when we remember to. But overall I think we may take them for granted.

Think of the summer farmers markets full of green luxurious produce that makes us feel wholesome and healthy just by looking at it, sweet apple cider and pumpkin pies that magically appear just in time for the fall harvest, do we forget to thank the tireless effort of our local farmers? I'm sure we all do, I for one know that I am guilty of it. But a wealth of knowledge is available from these dear ones who don't ask for glory, yet provide to us the sustenance we need to feed our little children and ourselves. Beautiful "farm to table" meals are grown by our local farmers. 

Farm to table, poached pears

These were the men I was surrounded by tonight. Many of them, like myself, have begun creating a new genre among the craft beverage industry and that is what has united myself with these respected men.

They really know what it means to go from seed to sip. 

A special thank you to Mary from Dish-LLC.com and Denise, Carla and Erin from Penn State Extention, also Eric Shatt from Redbyrd Cider for your instruction at the "Seed to Sip" workshop.